CALABRIA'S TERROIRS UNVEILED

There is little to say ... when the topic is my Calabria, I always get excited! And so I was when I took part in the tasting of Calabrian wines that was held at the latest edition of the Real Italian Wine and Food Tasting, in Church House, near the majestic Westminster, last November 8th.

The producers who took part in the event, sponsored by the Calabria Region, guest of honour at the event, belonged to various Calabrian wine areas, designated by different names: from the famous Ciro’ DOC appellation (I remind you that there are no DOCGs yet in the region), to the niche and chic appellation of Greco di Bianco (name of the DOC, not to be confused with the name of the Greco Bianco grape variety), to the ancient IGP Palizzi, or to the re-activated, after 50 years, IGP named Terre di Gerace, or the more generic Calabria IGP.

The masterclass entitled 'Calabria's terroirs unveiled' was made with the intent of discovering what Calabria region can produce and, through the seven wines shown at the tasting, Richard Ballantyne Master of Wine made us discover and savour some Calabrian vines, presenting them to an audience of wine experts and operators in the sector.

Richard himself emphasized the versatility of Gaglioppo, which is able to express itself in different shades depending on the area of production and the winemaking method used.

A representative wine was chosen, per each winery, that was a truly expression of the terroir.

Richard began with a brief introduction on Calabria and shared with the presents some data on the production of wines in the region, the location and size of the various appellations DOC and IGP (10 districts). The production of DOC and IGT wines is the smallest and the most fragmented in Italy, with 9 DOC denominations and 12,000 hectares of vineyard area and it was interesting to listen to a comparison with Barolo - the average size of each Menzione is 11 hectares so smaller than the average cru of Barolo!

We started with the first white, although as it is well known, the whites are not really the strength of Calabria really a land of reds! The first dry white in the tasting was Janestra 2017, IGP Calabria, made from greco bianco and mantonico, and produced by the Viglianti winery.

A young wine, easy to drink and with a 14% alcohol content, with aromas of fresh almonds and earthy flavours. The must certainly benefited from a short maceration on the skins. I had the opportunity to taste some older vintages of this wine and I must admit that the alcohol was less dominant for the benefit of a greater predominance of riper fruit.

This was followed by a wine that has greatly impressed me: the only Dry Zibibbo made in Calabria, which has been very successful in Italy and has already found a distributor here in the UK. The wine, of the Cantine Benvenuto (30,000 bottles), is produced by Giovanni, a young and bold man who has moved from Abruzzo to Francavilla Angitola to recover his grandfather's agricultural heritage. 

On the nose the typical and unmistakable aromas of Muscat of Alexandria (or Zibibbo as you want to call it) and very harmonious in the mouth, with a persistent taste and excellent acidity so much to make Richard think that the grapes had been harvested a little earlier to maintain the freshness of the wine. Giovanni has also created beautiful, very modern and refined labels that it is not easy to usually find on Calabrian bottles ...

From the whites, we went on to the first red wine: a blend of Greco Nero (70%) and Nerello Mascalese (30%), produced by Barone Macri ' in Gerace and for this reason called Terre di Gerace. The company owns 56 hectares and includes the production of oil and other food products, used in the restaurant inside the farmhouse overlooking the Ionian coast. The 2017 is a fresh red, with aromas of red fruit, especially strawberries, red berries and well balanced, perfect for sipping at the start of a meal.

After this wine, we tasted a red Palizzi IPG 2016 (70% Nerello Mascalese and 30% Calabrese) produced by the the Azienda Agricola Altomonte, with hints of black fruits like blueberries, blackberries, raspberries mixed with hints of wood (the wine is aged in barriques for 1 year), vanilla, and a high alcohol content, around 14.5%. Antonino Altomonte is determined to continue the tradition of cultivating the gratfs of centennial vines in this ancient area of ​​the province of Reggio Calabria.

Following this, we had two versions of the ‘king’ among the Calabrian vines: Gaglioppo.

It was enlightening to compare Gaglioppo IGT Principe Spinelli IGP 2017 of Tenuta Iuzzolini and Piu’ Vite Ciro' Rosso Riserva 2012 by Sergio Arcuri. The first presented a strong ruby colour, full in the mouth and round. Very apt for the international palate and diametrically opposed to the second wine tasted, produced by Sergio Arcuri.

Piu’Vite is a wine that speaks of the territory and hit everyone during the master class, making Richard fall in love with him so much that he did not hesitate to exalt this wine and extoll its qualities.

An identifiable colour with the Nebbiolo grape, a faded brick colour, typical of Gaglioppo, which could in fact be indicative of a much older wine. On the palate, of course, the comparison with Nebbiolo no longer held because 'the amount' of tannins was not enough to make it through the Piedmontese grape variety ... but revealed instead the beauty of Gaglioppo-tertiary scents of cherries in spirit, liquorice, spices, notes of leather, all seasoned with a quite bold acidity.

Organic, like all the production of Arcuri, made from bush vines cultivated, fermented in open cement tanks where it stayed for 4 years, followed by one year of ageing in bottle. The Riserva represents a very small production and it is released only in the best vintages.

A Ciro’ true expression of the territory and witness of the method of making wine in Calabria just like our ancestors did: an exemplary wine! Arcuri also produces the version of Ciro 'Classico and Rosato, also using the Gaglioppo grapes in purezza, which together with the Riserva, complete its range and made him grab the compliments of the participants.

The masterclass ended with a treat: Greco di Bianco, a passito wine from the Dioscuri winery that is one of the few producers of Greco di Bianco (there must be only five or six producers) and that owns a small hectare in Bianco.

The typical bottle of Greco di Bianco is the amphora that brings us back to the past and the wine is produced by Greco Bianco, left to dry in the shade, given the high Calabrian temperatures, and then processed and matured for thirteen months in barrique and a further thirteen months in bottle, to produce a dessert wine, good for ageing.

The vintage tasted was a 2009 and therefore a great example to show how important it is to wait to be able to give the wine the possibility to express its complex personality. Dates, dried figs, toasted almonds, caramel, a residual sugar content of 120 gr/l and a good acidity were the salient features of the wine that make it perfect in combination with almond biscuits and Calabrian dry pastries.

The guests were then able to continue the tasting of the entire range proposed by the Calabrian wine and food companies and could gather the information directly from the producers, who came to explore the difficult, complicated, competitive, saturated and you name it, but absolutely fascinating, market of Italian wines in the UK!